JAC Rumor: Payroll Clearing Blockbuster?

by Jon Shields ~ January 30th, 2009 at 1:01 am

Jason A. Churchill of Prospect Insider has a new rumor posted that is making my head spin with speculation:

What I dug up/have been told is that the M’s are working on a trade that would rid themselves of either Jarrod Washburn, Miguel Batista, or even Carlos Silva to an AL Central team.

But Brandon Morrow and either Wladimir Balentien or Jeff Clement – or both – might have to be part of the trade, at least as far as I can gather.

Returning would be a young corner outfielder with solid defensive skills and one strong offensive season under his belt, and minor league prospects – at least one pitcher.

Whoa.

We’ve talked about GM Jack Zduriencik’s desire to clear some payroll, most recently to make room to sign Bobby Abreu, so this move would allow that to happen.

I am obviously very concerned to see Brandon Morrow and Jeff Clement’s names in here, but 1.) it’s a rumor and there’s no way of really knowing who is actually involved, and 2.) if those guys are involved the return most be something ridiculously amazing. However, Clement doesn’t seem so untouchable now that the new management has repeatedly expressed their love for near-MLB ready catching prospect Adam Moore.

JAC also mentions in the comments that this mystery COF is not Denard Span (bummer).

If I had to guess, I believe the best match to the above description has got to be the White Sox’ Carlos Quentin. He’s not a good fielder, but it’s not a stretch that the source that gave JAC the info considers him to have “solid defensive skills.” Other big name youngsters that Seattle might be interested from the While Sox in the same trade: LHSP Aaron Poreda, LHSP Clayton Richard, 1B Brandon Allen and others. It isn’t that crazy to imagine a blockbuster between Chicago and Seattle.

No way of knowing for sure. Remember, this is a RUMOR. JAC wrote in the unquoted part of his post that he doesn’t know how current the information is, and whether talks are dead or a deal is imminent. Try to curb your excitement (whether it be positive or negative), but feel free to make some guesses as to what players/teams could be involved. This is one instance where wild trade propositions are encouraged!

We have about two weeks until Spring Training begins, and it isn’t going to be boring.

Roy Stuckey Weaver

Holy Crap…Let’s be realistic here… No way are we ridding ourselves of Silva (watch me eat my own words in a few days)…It has to be Washburn or Batista because they both are in the final years of their contracts… All I know is it also better be Clement or Balentein… I would be very upset if Morrow got sent packing…I think it might be with the twins for Delmon Young and one of their good young pitchers… Perkins or Blackburn. They were all very impressive for how young they were last year. Now that they got Liriano back they are gonna try to get rid of Bonser or see what they can get for one of those guys. All I know is any rumors involving Silva, Washburn or Batista are very exciting…
rossco

Well, here’s to hoping that this is about Carlos Quentin, and not Delmon Young. Seriously, the only piece of this that scares me is Morrow. But Wlad and Clement both have big question marks next to their name and, in my mind, expendable. Quentin, with his huge bat and average leather, seems to me to be the only player who fits this description (I’m not sure one would call Young’s defense “solid”). As for prospects, Brandon Allen is an absolute AA stud. He’d be a great addition to Tacoma. As would Clayton Richard, who ripped up AAA, but had a tough go in the bigs, ala Garrett Olson. What about Carlos Torres? He’s another SP who tore up AA, and had a tough time transitioning to AAA… seems like the kind of young, cheap, high upside, player that Z likes. There’s also Dewayne Wise, who fits that mold as well.

The success of this, for me, would lie in the prospects. Morrow is tough to lose, for sure, but if we got a package of Quentin, Allen, Richard, and Torres + some lower level guys, that *seems* good to me. but then what do i know?
Marc83

Alright, this is interesting. Quentin would be the only one you could logically trade Morrow for. I say this could be a good trade if a few other things happen.

Trade: SP Morrow, SP Silva, C Clement & OF Balentien to Chicago for OF Quentin, SP Peroda, RP Matt Thronton, & 1B Brandon Allen.
Sign as a FA: 2B Orlando Hudson
Move: Jose Lopez from 2B to 1B
Call up: C Adam Moore (Try to Move Johjima later if possible)

If ALL that happened somehow then our ballclub would be pretty solid:
RF Ichiro
2B Orlando Hudson
1B Jose Lopez
LF Carlos Quentin
3B Adrian Beltre
DH Russell Branyan
CF Franklin Gutierrez
C Adam Moore or Rob Johnson
SS Yu-Bet or Ronny Cedeno

SP’s: Felix, Bedard, Rowland-Smith, Washburn, G. Olsen
RP’s: Corcoran, M. Thornton, Aardsma, Jimenez, T. Walker, Batista
CP: M. Lowe
rossco

If the contract shedding part was Silva, i’d do backflips. I like Hudson, but I’m not sure the M’s and their 20% cost-cutting ways would be open to the contract he’d likely require. I’d say the same thing about acquiring Abreu – would be great for DH, but doubtful unless we can slash some more bad bavasi contracts. So,

RF Ichiro
CF Gutierrez
2B Lopez
LF Quentin
3B Beltre
1B Branyan/Shelton
DH Joh/Morse?
C Adam Moore or Rob Johnson
SS Cedeno or Yuni

Would DHing piss Johjima off enough to make him want to play in Japan again and rip up his contract? we can hope, right? hey, do the ChiSox need another catcher to back up Pierzynski???
bakomariner

1) As I said at Prospect Insider, you can’t trade Morrow…we’re already losing Bedard, and with our #2 and #3 gone, the rotation will be weak…
2) Even if this happens, it’s probably to bring in Abreau to DH, not to sign Hudson (although I would kill for a Hudson signing)

I think the most important piece of information is if it is still being thought about or if it’s dead…

No reason to get worked up over it if it was dead a long time ago…
seatown27

if we got rid of washburn i would be extatic on that premise alone. To get something back for him is just gravy. I am gonna say it is the twins and delmon young we’re getting back just to be different. but if we get rid of clement, who was the DH in my mind, then we better sign abreu.
bakomariner

I agree that we need to get rid of Wash, but would you get rid of Wash if Morrow MUST be in the deal? I wouldn’t…

Pay Wash his salary and let him be your number 5 starter for ’09…trade him at the deadline if you can…

Don’t trade Morrow…
a-tizzle

I can’t see Chicago or Minnesota wanting Clement. There catcher situation is fine. Minnesota has a DH as well. Morrow should not go. Send Washburn, Balentein and another prospect plus a couple million to offset costs, for a corner OF and I would be happy. Not sure if that is enough to get a deal done though.
seatown27

i agree do not trade morrow. Unless the deal trully knocks Z’s socks off. But if we do trade morrow we better be getting back future all stars, and not just a one dimensional defensive outfielder.
rossco

I’m not terribly worried about Wash… it’s only 1 more year and he did show up for some good outings down the stretch last year. I don’t mind having him for at least until July as a serviceable #5. Silva, however, was AWFUL all of last year and we have him on the books for 2 more. Him and Johjima are the toughest contracts to deal with – seems like absolutely no chance to get rid of them without giving up a Morrow too.

If we were to get Quentin, a great AAA SP prospect, another decent SP prospect, and draft UNC RHP Alex White at #2, would you feel better about losing Morrow?
Captain Lars

The one lousy contract I’d like to shed would be Silva. He’s still got three years left on that deal and the lazy (fat and out of shape) attitude he brought to camp last year was unprofessional to say the least after signing such a lucrative deal. I’m really not all that worried about the Washburn and Batista contracts since they only have a year left on each and we’re still not going to be that good this year anyway. Batista will be in the pen for sure if he’s still around and why not Washburn as well. I haven’t seen anyone suggest that Washburn move to the pen. Everything I’ve read seems to indicate that he’ll be a starter if he’s still with the club. Why take that route? I say open up competition for the starters in camp and let the best arms win. If Washburn doesn’t beat enough guys out to win the #5 spot then put him in the pen. I’ve always thought he really never had starter stuff anyways. Lefty or not, all he’s really got is a below average fastball and not a lot else. He looks like a long man or even a lefty specialist to me. It’s not worth giving up a young golden arm like Morrow just to jettison Batista or Washburn. Besides, Washburn actually pitched pretty well during decent stretches last year and if you have to dump him or Batista during the season it’s not that much of a financial hit.
Freeing the money to get Abreu would be nice but, at age 35, he’s not our future. Giving up Morrow just to offload Washburn or Batista so we could get one or two years of Abreu would be lousy.
In the right deal I would be okay with moving Vlad and/or Clement. I’m not convinced that Vlad will ever turn out to be anything special (although I could be wrong) and Clement, who I think will eventually turn out to be an excellent hitter, may never develop the necessary defensive skills or durability that you traditionally look for in a catcher. Too bad there hasn’t been more of an effort to try him out at 1B. He’s too young to be a DH and too slow to play any other field position.
Echo Chamber

DeWayne Wise is a jourenyman outfielder so I’m pretty sure he’s not going to be a cog in any trade proposal. Washburn is a starter. He doesn’t have starter “stuff” allegedly, so how do you think that is going to transform to bullpen “stuff’? He’d be lambasted out of the pen. Delmon Young, Denard Span, and Carlos Quentin are the most feasible names. But there’s got to be more we’re over looking. It seems kind of odd that the rumor specifically mentions an AL central team. Maybe it’s a swap of bad contracts as well. It also seems pretty odd that a team would take on Silva’s contract just to get Clement/Balentein and Morrow. None of the three are sure fire prospects or sure fire major leaguers. We saw the Marlins trying to package albatross contracts with attractive pitchers a few years ago with Lowell and Burnett with no success, but once the season was over Lowell with Beckett was much easier to swallow. I think this rumor is exactly that. A rumor. It’s either 100% made up or there is a huge piece missing, like another team, or another bad contract. Seems pretty vague. I wouldn’t look too much into this. Balentein will probably be traded with Batista and cash for a sack of balls, bases, and rosin bags. That would clear up some space for a Abreu signing. Why in the world would any one be ok with Jose Lopez as the first basemen? That’s almost as bad as the DH situation last year…
ernier

I would be OK with including Morrow in the right deal. For me it would have to include Silva and would have to bring something significant in return. A package of Silva, Morrow and Wlad or Clement for a power hitting corner outfielder and top prospects is something I would do.

I like Morrow and he no doubt has number 1 or 2 starter potential, but it might be best for him and the M’s to move him in the right deal. Morrow is going to have his struggles as a starter this year and maybe a bit longer and every time he does the papers and radio will always bring up Lincecum, they’ve been doing it for a while already and it will probably continue throughout his career in Seattle. I don’t think it’s fair and it’s not his fault, but it’s always going to happen so it might be best for the M’s to rid themselves of this Bavasi mistake.

I’m not saying give him away or trade him with Silva only for a salary dump, the M’s need something very good in return also. I beleive that teams would drool over him if he is available even if it cost some money and talent, especially teams like the Yankees, Mets, Dodgers, White Sox who could find a way to take on the salary.
flamefox111

Orlando Hudson is worse than Lopez. I am worried that this mystery outfielder is Mark Teahan he had a good 2006 season but since has been crap.
http://bleedingblueandteal.com Jon Shields

I’m noticing a lot of people both in this thread and the one on Prospect Insider getting upset with the idea of “trading Morrow just to be able to move salary,” or something along those lines.

The team is not that stupid. They would never deal a major leaguer with current #3-4 and future #2+ potential just to move a big contract so that they could get someone like Abreu. If they’re giving up Morrow, they’re getting back something significant.

Using the ChiSox as an example, Seattle could deal Silva/Wash/Batista, Morrow and Wlad in exchange for Quentin, Poreda, ++. Poreda is one of baseball’s best pitching prospects, and will be in AAA next season. He is also a power LHSP, meaning he would benefit from Safeco’s dimensions more than Morrow.

The way I read this, it wouldn’t be giving up Morrow to clear salary, it would be taking a slight risk (with potentially a nice benefit) in order to move salary and gain a COF as well. The risk would be banking on Poreda, who arguably has bigger upside than Morrow, to stay the course and become the big league arm that he is expected to become sometime in 2009-2011. If he flames out, M’s lose, but if he lives up to expectations Seattle wins big by moving an albatross (especially if it’s Silva) and upgrading when it comes to young SP talent.

I’m not sure if that makes sense, but I think a lot of us are still a bit gun shy from the Bavasi years. Z isn’t the type to deal a boatload of young talent for one or two ‘right now’ pieces. If he gives up young talent, I believe it will be worth it. I guess we’ll see. If this rumor holds any legitimacy at all it could really show us what Z is all about.
http://bleedingblueandteal.com Jon Shields

I am worried that this mystery outfielder is Mark Teahan he had a good 2006 season but since has been crap.

I suppose Teahen does fit the description. He’s young (27), arguably possesses “solid defensive skills” (~average OF defender for his career, per bUZR), and has one strong offensive season (2006).

Interesting, and they need to move him, but a couple of problems. One, how could they ever justify Brandon Morrow+ in return? They don’t seem to have any pitching prospects that are of Morrow’s caliber. Hochevar? Rosa? Cortez? Eh… Something doesn’t look right.

Two, I don’t believe the Royals have the payroll flexibility to take on a big contract. They were trying to move Jose Guillen earlier so that they could make a real run at Orlando Hudson, but were unable to and had to back down.
ernier

After looking at the AL Central rosters again and re-reading JAC post I think Jon is absolutely correct. It has to Carlos Quentin. I can see the Sox being interested in following guys:

Wlad as the replacement for Quentin
Clement as DH/Catcher and then taking over for A.J.
Silva because if they get the Silva when he was with the Twins he’d be a ground ball pitcher which is needed for that park
Morrow for the obvious reasons
ernier

The Tacoma News Tribune says the M’s signed Messenger to a minor league deal.
Keith

OK, let’s look at this logically. Which Al Central team needs a at least one starter/closer and has at least one promising outfielder to trade away, might also need a catcher, and have enough prospects to swing a “Morrow for…” deal? Next, would this team would probably have payroll space to take the Washburn/Batista/Silva contract. We also have to consider if the any team would make this deal to rebuild or contend. One team I haven’t heard mentioned is Cleveland, they have Ben Francisco who had a pretty good season last year (his first full season) and they don’t have starting depth behind Cliff Lee. Vlad/Clement might provide catching/dh depth for them, but I don’t know much about their prospect pool. Any ideas?
http://bleedingblueandteal.com Jon Shields

And why would the Indians be looking to deal Francisco or Choo to Seattle just weeks after dealing Gutierrez to Seattle for the sole purpose of making room for Francisco and Choo?

If I remember right they’re all out of money as well.

Also, I hate to even bother mentioning this but it seems to be a reoccurring theme in this thread so I might as well: It’s Wlad. With a W. Double-U. Not Vlad.
Mariners121212

Seriously guys Z isn’t the stupid, there is no way that he is going to trade Morrow. And anyone who thinks that any team would trade for Silva is incredibly stupid because I highly doubt that any team would give a good player for Silva even if we included Morrow, Clement, and payed half of his contract!
Luisam911

I don’t think Z would let Morrow go. Again we would have lost our 2 and 3 by 2010. Unless it could be some really really good pitcher prospect that would be ready in 2010. IF we do trade morrow and get carlos, that solves our homerun problem. I think if we can get carlos without gving up Morrow, than we have to say we are legit contenders. But who knows if this is real or not. If they would sign the kid after than we could have something like this.
1.Ichrio rf
2. gutieriz cf
3. Beltre 3b
4. Quiten lf.
5. Griffey DH
6. lopez 2nd
7. ryan b. 1b
8.kenji/moore
9. yuni ss /cedneo
Just my dream team there for this year. Who knows. Anything could happen.
Mariners121212

For all of you who are making your lineups for this year, you are forgetting 1 key fact. The M’s are doing all of this to free up money for Abreu and all of you left him out of your lineups. If they could get Quentin and Abreu I think they would have a legitimate team to challenge the Angels next year.
http://bleedingblueandteal.com Jon Shields

Seriously guys Z isn’t the stupid, there is no way that he is going to trade Morrow.

I don’t get this. Yes, Morrow is a valuable young pitcher, but if you get back a good/better value, why not pull the trigger? If Quentin + other top prospect(s) are coming back, you’ve got to consider it.

It’s like saying, “That would be stupid to deal Felix Hernandez!” even if the return was Johan Santana and Jose Reyes.
Luisam911

Abreu can teach people here how to work counts.
Mariners121212

I get your point, but that isn’t the same thing your saying they would get prospects not established superstars.(such as Reyes and Santana). I do think that trading Morrow for that package would be worth it but I don’t think it would be worth trading Clement also.
http://bleedingblueandteal.com Jon Shields

I guess it would all depend on what “that package” is. I think it would be pretty foolish to turn down Wash/Silva/Batista, Wlad and Morrow for Quentin and Poreda. If you break it down, one of the overpaid guys is dumped, Wlad is swapped with Quentin who is better than he’ll ever be and just a couple years old (26), and Morrow is swapped with Poreda. Poreda likely has higher upside and is a power LHSP, which is rare and would be great at Safeco, while Morrow is slightly more advanced right now (but not all that much, really).

Looking at it that way and Seattle would be LUCKY to get that package, meaning Clement may have to be involved as well.

I’d like to also say that I’m not advocating dealing our top young players right now, but if you’re getting top young players in return it doesn’t really make a difference.

I understand how you all feel about Morrow though. When I first read the rumor my thought was literally “NO NO NO NO NO,” but the more I think about it the more scenarios pop into my mind that make it worthwhile.
Mariners121212

I agree this deal would be a really good deal for the Mariners, but I just doubt that the White Sox would make this offer.
Luisam911

The problem is the white sox have this.
! M. Buehrle
2. J. Danks
3. G. Floyd
4. B. Colon
5. C. Richard
6. L. Broadway
7. J. Contreras
8. A. Poreda
thats there depth chart in starting pitching from mlb.com
there bullpen
Bullpen
B. Jenks (CL)
O. Dotel
S. Linebrink
M. Thornton
D. Carrasco
E. Wassermann
A. Russell
K. Jimenez
They have a set up man and a closer why would they need Morrow?
http://bleedingblueandteal.com Jon Shields

@Mariners121212 – True.. but who knows what kind of deal (if any) was actually discussed. It’s ALL speculation… just for fun.

@Luis – Do they have to need? What’s wrong with want? Heh..
Mariners121212

Yep
moethedog

You know….I’m not sure that getting rid of Morrow is the thing to do. We know the guy is a big league pitcher. A good one. He will be a very good closer..and may well be a very good starter.

Keep him.

And I’m not sure that Wasburn isn’t worth keeping. He’s a short timer. Even last year…his worst in 8 years as a starter..he was still serviceable. As a 5th starter (a slightly expensive one)…he gobbles up starts and innings. At worst he’ll be a little below the league average ERA..perhaps better. Looking at his averages over the previous three years and comparing them to last year, he gave up almost exactly the sme HR’s/9inn, his BB’s were up slightly p/9inn, his K’s were almost exactly the same…and he gave up about .8 more hits per 9inn. His #’s don’t indicate a guy who doesn’t have it any longer (Silva!)

A rotation of Felix, Bedard, R R-Smith, Morrow and Washburn isn’t half bad. Throw Olson into the mix as insurance…and you’re OK. Batista is gong to be impossible to trade. So you live with him, dump him or give him away.

Silva…Cut your losses there.

I like Quentin (if that’s the team)….But Morrow for Quintin (and that’s the way I see it..other than dumping Wash’s salary for one year) sn’t an obviously great trade….or obviously good one.

If you can package “Bad” Wlad and Clement….along with Washburn..for a Quintin +….I’ld go for that. But why would they…???

Abreu for a single year at DH? It better be a great year…..to make up for losing Morrow.

Keith
Captain Lars

Obviously any trade that makes you better is a good trade, even if it includes players (like Morrow) that you badly want to keep. Most fans, me included, aren’t familiar enough with other teams rosters and minor leaguers to really know what they may be getting in return but you know your own system pretty well so you know when one of your good talents gets dangled in trade rumors.
Morrow is exactly the kind of player you really want to keep and the kind every team wants. He’s young, under team control at a bargain for several more years and has proven he can succeed at the major league level. Forget that he’s not Tim Lincecum, so what. That’s history now. He’s still a guy with a high 90′s fastball, improving secondary pitches (especially his curve) and has proven he can not only get major league hitters out but dominate at times. We all saw that start against the Yankees, he wasn’t lucky, he was on fire. He’s not a finished product yet but he’s worth more than almost any prospect who’s never proven anything at the major league level yet.
Of course this rumor could very well be just that, a rumor. Something to keep people like us off the street and in front of our computers during these cold winter months. There could be nothing to any of this at all.
M-ners27

What about throwing Beltre in the mix of players and keeping Morrow and Clement (if you can). This is Beltre’s last season and he’s already said he’s not going to re-sign get something for him and not wait for the dead-line, we have 3 players that can play 3rd…Branyan, Cedeno and Tuiasosopo. Rob Johnson could be included in the trade. We have enough catchers and they just have Pierzynski in there depth chart. so Beltre, Wash, Balentien,Rob Jonson for Quentin and who ever else. trading Beltre and Wash gets 23 million off payroll and then possibly sign Abreu. Thats 2 great bats.

1.RF Ichiro
2.2B Lopez
3.DH Abreu
4.C Clement
5.LF Quenton
6.3B Branyan, Cedeno or Tuiasosopo
7.CF Guterrez
8.1B LaHair
9.SS Betancourt

SP
1. Felix
2. Bedard-possible trade at dead-line
3. Morrow
4. R-R Smith
5. Silva

Bullpen
-Batista
-corcoran
-Jimenez
-Lowe
-Olson
-Aardsma
-and pick up Chase Wright or someone like that.

Just a thought. Doubt it will happen.
ernier

On the subject of trade rumors…there are some interesting tidbits from Ken Rosenthal about discussions between the M’s and Yankees and the M’s and Twins

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/9152594/Fehr:-'Heightened'-concern-about-free-agent-market?CMP=OTC-K9B140813162&ATT=49
Librarian

Rosenthal says:
“The Twins had interest in Washburn last season and are looking to move outfielder Delmon Young. But while some sources believe those players could form the foundation of a larger deal, others say that the teams haven’t spoken in more than a month.”

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/9152594/Fehr:-'Heightened'-concern-about-free-agent-market?CMP=OTC-K9B140813162&ATT=49
Librarian

You’re quick Ernier
Mariners121212

If they were to trade Beltre then they could go out and sign Joe Crede for a cheap one year deal.
banton

You all keep saying “let’s throw Beltre and/or Washburn/Silva/Batista in the mix”, but you keep forgetting that SOMEONE WOULD WANT TO EAT THEIR CONTRACTS, AND THIS IS NOT THE YEAR FOR IT TO HAPPEN!! You assume that a team would want to eat $20+ million? No one has that kind of money right now, and if they did, they would buy quality arms and infielders. A trade is only done if BOTH teams feel that they are getting what they want. Us wanting to dump $20 mil. is not a good enough reason for someone to take our cast-offs, with or without Morrow.

Personally, I see anyone on the team as trade-able, no matter how good they are, if it helps grow the team substantially in return. No one player on the Mariners is going to either put us in contention or keep us out of contention this year. I would hate to see Morrow go, but would trade him in a New York minute to better the team.
ernier

I always thought Beltre would get traded to the Twins, but it doesn’t seem possible now because he added them to his no trade list because from what i’ve read he doesn’t want to play there. It seems like SF is a possible destination for him if they don’t sign Manny or Crede.
M-ners27

So who would the Mariners be going after more, Xavior Nady, Carlos Quentin or Delmon Young. Or are they just trying to dumping salary for Bobby Abreu?
moethedog

Hey…

A name I haven’t seen knocked about as part of this possible trade…and this guy fits the description….is David Dejesus of the KC Royals.

Had a very solid year with the bat last year (.307, .366, .452)! UZR rating is 7.7….8th best among AL OF’s (Gutierrez was 4th at 17.1, Ichiro 12th at 1.5)…Which would give the M’s a terrific defensive OF.

Could hit 3rd or 5th…depending on any FA signings…

Salary apears to be in the $3M range…

Royals desperately need SP’s….

I don’t know what prospects they may have….But the rest seems to fit the general description from ProspectInsider.

Royals picked up Coco Crisp..so they have Crisp, Teahan and Guillen in the OF (not to mention Bloomquist!)…

I could see Dejesus being the guy in the discussions.

Chavez becomes a tough 4th outfielder, then!

If you can make this happen without Morrow being in the deal….Washburn, Wlad, Clement…..This would be a no brainer!

Throw Olson in instead of Morrow…

What do you think?

Keith
moethedog

I still see Washburn as a very servicable 5th starter….a bit expensive, however. But that expense goes aways after one year.

But if Morrow is in this trade..and if at least one pitching prospect is included…Who might that be?

Well..looking at the Royals AAA arms…4 “prospects”seem to stand out…all fairly young..with some success.

Devan Lowry is a AAA closer type. Has had a cup of tea in the bigs. He’s 25.

Carlos Rosa is a starter. He was also up last year..2 games 3 innings. Spent part of the year at AA, part at AA. 19 combined starts….95 innings…2.76 ERA. Definately a promising prospect.

Matt Wright has 140+ innings at AAA last year, 23 starts (and 5 appearance out of the pen)..got knocked about some. ERA is 5+…but he throws a bunch of innings…Never been up.

The last one is a RP named Anthony Bradley. 22 yrs old. pitched at the A, AA and AAA levels last year. Impressive numbers…for just his second year of pro ball.

So…maybe one of those guys is the prospect pitcher. Rosa and Bradley appear to be the best of the group….

IF Silva was the guy to be dumped…and his three years. And if you got a Rosa or Bradley along with Dejesus….It might make sense to include Morrow…as much as I love him.

BTW…Dumping the salaries ofWashburn or Silva and adding Dejesus..equals about a $5M gain….just the amouunt a Abreu might go for.

Mariners might look like…(even w/o Abreu)

Ichiro…RF
Gutierrez…CF
Lopez…2B
Beltre…3B
DeJesus…LF
Shelton/Branyan/Lahair (take your pick.I think I like Carp)…1B
Sweeney????take your wild pick…DH
Moore, Johnson, Kenji,Burke (who has a combined .283 average the last two years…and handles pitchers well)…C
Yuni…..the horror, the horror…Oh..the humanity!…SS

Staff would look like…

Felix
Bedard
Washburn
R R-Smith
Olson…

Is that an 85 win team?

Keith
http://bleedingblueandteal.com Jon Shields

^A couple problems.

One, the Royals don’t have any money. They’ve been handcuffed this offseason by Jose Guillen’s awful contract.

Two, that rotation has 4 lefties in it. Never gonna happen.
http://bleedingblueandteal.com Jon Shields

New info from JAC: It is indeed the White Sox, with Quentin and Poreda being two of the three White Sox in the deal (as I originally guessed.. score one for me!). Four M’s would be going to Chicago, including Morrow, Clement and one of those three big contract pitchers. (In one version of the deal… naturally other names have been tossed around as well)

I have all the player names, but I unfortunately cannot publish the full report. I will say that I would almost certainly pull the trigger on the deal.
seatown27

i am kinda torn on this deal. on one hand i don’t wanna give up morrow, but if we’re getting back a stud pitcher then i may do it. Is poreda the type of guy who can step right into the rotation or is he a year or 2 away? and if clement goes do we bring up adam moore or rob johnson?
Mr.Benton

I’m not trying to be negative but, how are we sure that last year for Quentin was not a fluke? (such as Beltre in 2004). I’m not too worried about losing Clement, but i would like to keep Morrow. Poreda is a great pitcher and is supposed to make the White Sox roster out of Spring Training.
http://bleedingblueandteal.com Jon Shields

RE: Poreda’s time table

I disagree that Poreda is “supposed to make the White Sox roster out of Spring Training.” Considering their pitching depth and that he hasn’t pitched above AA yet, that seems pretty unlikely. They have about 7-8 arms gunning for rotation spots as it is. I think he’ll spend at very very least half a season in AAA.

That doesn’t make him any worse than Morrow, necessarily. If Morrow hadn’t been initially rushed to the majors after being drafted, might he still be in the minors working on the control problems and inconsistent secondary offerings that he’s struggling with now? I’m not sure what the answer to that is, but I would be willing to bet that the current gap between Morrow and Poreda is smaller than you’d expect, while Poreda is thought by some to have a higher upside.

RE: Catching

If Clement was dealt it would probably be Johjima/Burke until Moore is ready, whether that is later in 2009 or 2010.

RE: Quentin’s breakout season

Benton, that’s not being negative. That’s a valid concern. Still, it’s not like he came out of nowhere. That was the player he was supposed to be. He may not put up another .400+ wOBA in 2009, especially at Safeco Field, but he’ll still be just 26, draws walks and played hurt a lot of last season. He should remain a productive bat, and will be making pennies for the next couple of seasons at least.

I wasn’t that excited at first, but I’m definitely warming up to it. I’d like to take a chance on Quentin at the expense of Morrow, especially if Poreda is coming back. Also, Seattle will almost certainly land a stud SP with the #2 overall pick (SP heavy at the top of the draft).
issymicen

Jon,
would it be a 3 for 4 deal? or 2 for 4? if it is a 3 for 4 deal what would the other prospect be a postion player or pitching?
Mr.Benton

Indications are that prized left-hander Aaron Poreda has an excellent shot at making the Opening Day roster, even if he doesn’t beat out Clayton Richard or Jeff Marquez for the fifth starter’s spot, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune writes. Either way, if he doesn’t make the club out of spring training he has HUGE upside. I hope this works out as i don’t think it can necessarily hurt the Mariners, now or in the future.
http://bleedingblueandteal.com Jon Shields

would it be a 3 for 4 deal? or 2 for 4? if it is a 3 for 4 deal what would the other prospect be a postion player or pitching?

There were multiple proposals, but the one I mentioned had the M’s giving up 4 and cash for 3.

Let me just make this clear: just because the team has been revealed and names have been confirmed doesn’t make it any more imminent than when it was a super vague rumor. No idea if this is dead or alive.
Echo Chamber

This rumor never quite made sense from the get-go. Why would the White Sox trade a highly touted prospect and Quentin for Morrow? Not to mention absorbing a huge contract in the process. They’d be making their team worse now and for the future all while losing money. Unless I’m missing something since there were 40+ comments since my last one…
http://bleedingblueandteal.com Jon Shields

I’m with you. The deal doesn’t make as much sense for the Sox as it does for the Mariners, in my opinion. If the negotiations have stalled out, I would guess that it was on the White Sox side of things.

That said, Kenny Williams has made some pretty awful deals, so you never know.
SABR Matt

Why does the entire Mairner blogosphere have a collective erection for Denard Span? Seriously…what the heck is the attraction here?

His minor league line: .287/.355/.358 is the equivalent of WILLIE BLOOMQUIST! guys. Why on EARTH do you want him so badly? His good results in AAA and MLB in 2008 appear to be entirely driven by BABIP luck and LD% luck. He’s never been that kind of hitter before…and it’s late for him to just now be turning into a star caliber hitter.

He’s a good fielder, but COME ON! We can do better than WFB with a gold glove for Brandon Morrow and Jeff Clement. Span sucks…I don’t understand this fascination.
moethedog

If Washburn was the guy..and if the Mariners threw in some cash (say a couple of million…which whould be just enough savings to sign Abreu for $5M and a bit)..

The the Sox would get two starters this year (and one for perhaps many years to come)…..for Quintin. And then it would be a Wlad (perhaps) and Clement for Poreda deal…

Beyond this year, from the Sox…it would really amount to a Quintin and Poreda deal for Clement and Morrow (I’m figuring no productive future for Wlad)

Doesn’t make a bunch of sense….

Even for the Mariners it only makes sense if you figure getting Abreu for a singele season is part of the deal…and then it still doesn’t seem to be a no brainer.

If Silva is the guy for the M’s..it takes on whole new meaning for them. Is it worth trading Morrow to get out from under Silva’s contract….

That might…

Keith
Brandon

I think this deal is dead. I saw on ESPN earlier today (at least I think i saw…I am waaaay out of it today and might have been dreaming or something) that the White Sox offered Abreu a 1 year/ $8 million contract. I don’t think they would both pay Abreu 8 mil and take on one of our pitcher’s salaries.

Who really knows what’s to come, but it looks like if we want Abreu, we won’t be getting him for 5-7.5 mil/1 year. I have a feeling our roster is set until spring training and teams get some injuries…then maybe we can trade a few of our pitchers for something of value.
http://bleedingblueandteal.com Jon Shields

^Could be, and that was always a possibility. The Sox have been connected to Abreu since the start of the offseason. Still, if they get Abreu they’ll have to move a COF. If they move Dye elsewhere they’ll still have the money to play with since he makes $11.5M next season.

And just because they offered a contract doesnt mean Abreu takes it. He probably should at this point in the offseason, but you never know.
Echo Chamber

It’d make more sense for a Washburn/Dye swap. But replacing Dye with Abreu doesn’t make the Chi Sox any better. They’re both play a horrendous RF, both are 35+, both can hit bombs in ball parks that help HR stats (Citizen’s and The Cell). Ones lefty and likes to take pitches and ones a righty who doesn’t like to take as many pitches. The more I think of this swap, the less sense it makes for me. Plus Washburn would probably give up a ton of home runs there…

PS (non related)
Why were the Red Sox only publicly linked to Salty, Teagarden, and Miguel Montero? How come no Clement talk or Moore talk?

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